Lady Macbeth Research Paper

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Female Roles in Shakespeare Gender roles have been debated for decades. Particularly, during William Shakespeare’s lifetime, female roles in society were extremely limited. During the Elizabethan period, many writers undermined the female character and created them with little detail or appeal. Going against the expected, Shakespeare created his women characters with more important roles in his plays. It was thought that Shakespeare was able to relate to and understand women incredibly well because he was an actor who played both male and female characters. He would have to “become” a women when he was acting (Packer). Naturally, this allowed Shakespeare to develop his women characters with different, more unique qualities then the other writers …show more content…

Normally, the male character has power over the women in a marriage and orders her to do important tasks. However, Shakespeare changes this idealism to allow Lady Macbeth with all the power in the marriage. Therefore, Lady Macbeth is the main female character who manages power over her husband. Lady Macbeth is “nothing but a fierce, cruel women” who uses her power over her husband to kill the king (Bloom). In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth’s manipulation is extremely noticeable over her husband. The influence and power Lady Macbeth has over her husband initiates Macbeth’s evil inside of him (Boyce). Though the power somewhat dissolves throughout the play, Lady Macbeth strives for her husband’s throne and power until it is achieved. Contrary to her character, Lady Macbeth reverts back to her maternal instinct and proclaims she cannot kill Duncan herself. Instead, she orders Macbeth and makes him feel cowardly and weak until he agrees to her request of the killing (Chamberlain). This confirms the influence and extreme power Lady Macbeth has over the naive Macbeth; his lady is essentially his mental strength in the beginning of the play. After her initial influence and power, Lady Macbeth transforms her husband into a raging murderous fiend. The main rationale to Macbeth’s transformation is the power Lady Macbeth instilled on him. Consequently, Lady …show more content…

Bloom's Shakespeare through the Ages. Bloom's Lit Crit Infobase, 2008. Print. Boyce, Charles, and David Allen White. Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference To His Poems, His Life, and Times, And More. New York: Charles Boyce and Roundtable Press, 1990 . Print. Chamberlain, Stephanie. "Fantasizing infanticide: Lady Macbeth and the murdering mother in early modern England." College Literature, vol. 32, no. 3, (2005):, 72+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 19 Feb. 2018. Gerwig, George William. "Lady Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, edited by Lynn M. Zott, vol. 69, Gale (2003) Literature Resource Center. Web. 19 Feb. 2018. Originally published in Shakespeare's Ideals of Womanhood, The Roycroft Shops (1929): 133-150. Ludot-Vlasak, Ronan. ""what's in a Name?" the Circulation of Romeo and Juliet in Cold Case." Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 42, no. 2, (2014): 451-460 eLibrary. Web. 20 Feb. 2018. Martin, Jennifer L. "Tights Vs. Tattoos: Filmic Interpretations of Romeo and Juliet." English Journal, vol. 92, no. 1, (2002): 41-46. eLibrary. Web. 20 Feb. 2018. Packer, Tina. Women of Will: Following the Feminine in Shakespeare's Plays. Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. Print. Went, Alex. CliffsNotes on Macbeth. Web. 20 Feb

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